9 Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that comes from the ginger family. Honestly, everyone should be taking turmeric supplements.

Turmeric is actually not that common. It is actually used frequently in Asian food and is the main ingredient in curry.

The root of turmeric is frequently used to make medicine. Turmeric contains a yellow colored chemical called curcumin which is often used to flavor or color foods such as butter, cheeses, mustards, and powders.

There are many health benefits of turmeric and I will cover all of them in this article.

I will also provide you with the turmeric supplement I take. I find that I don’t have enough time in the day to make foods that contain turmeric, so what I do is consume my turmeric supplement everyday.

Also, what you want to consume is the main spice in turmeric which I have mentioned already: curcumin. Curcumin is the main active ingredient that has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that give turmeric its benefits.

However, the curcumin content of turmeric is actually low (around 3%) found in foods.

Therefore, supplements use turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin which is good because you are getting a much higher level of curcumin.

It is very difficult to reach the necessary levels of curcumin just by consuming turmeric spice in your foods. That is another reason why I prefer supplements.

Turmeric to many is considered the most effective and efficient natural supplement in existence.

You want to take an effective amount of curcumin which come from the extracts of turmeric via supplement form.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

Anti-Inflammatory

Inflammation in the body and brain is extremely important. Inflammation causes numerous diseases linked both in the body and mind. Inflammation promotes chronic pain, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and even depression. With consuming a strong anti-inflammatory like turmeric, you will be giving your body and mind these anti-inflammatory properties they need to be healthy.

The curcumin of turmeric is considered such a strong anti-inflammatory that it may be equally efficient when compared to some anti-inflammatory drugs.

Inflammation among the body and mind is actually a very complex process involving many molecular interactions. The take-away message here is that curcumin of turmeric is an effective substance that fights off inflammation, thereby promoting strong health.

Antioxidant

Damage to the body or mind can be influenced by oxidation. It is believed that oxidation may be one of the causative agents behind many diseases. Fortunately, turmeric helps to beat oxidation as it is a highly beneficial antioxidant.

Oxidation involves free radicals (highly reactive molecules) that react with essential organic compounds including fatty acids, DNA, and proteins. This is not good for our bodies and minds.

Antioxidants come into play as they protect our minds and bodies from these harmful free radicals.

Curcumin in turmeric tends to be a strong antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals and also enhance our own antioxidant enzymes in the body. This allows free radicals to be destroyed as well as stimulating our own antioxidant mechanisms. Overall, curcumin has very powerful antioxidant effects that allow the body and mind to be free of oxidation.

Prevention of Heart Disease

Heart disease is a major contribution to death in the world. Heart disease is very complex and has been studied for many years. We now realize there are many factors that contribute to it. Turmeric helps in the prevention of heart disease mainly by improving endothelium (lining of blood vessels) function and by also being a strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant (discussed above).

It is proven that endothelial dysfunction is a major contributor to heart disease because the endothelium is unable to regulate blood pressure and blood clotting.

Fortunately, many studies have shown that curcumin in turmeric helps to improve endothelial function. In fact, one study actually shows that curcumin can be as effective as exercise and work as good as the drug Atorvastatin.

Again, inflammation and oxidation are also drivers of heart disease. Consequently, turmeric (being an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) helps to reduce heart disease.

In an experimental investigation, 121 volunteered patients were undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery who were divided into either a placebo category or 4 grams of curcumin per day category. The results showed that the curcumin group of patients had a 65% decreased risk of experiencing a heart attack in the hospital.

Prevention of Depression

Another benefit of turmeric curcumin is the prevention of depression as well as reducing symptoms of depression. A scientific study shows that curcumin is as effective as an antidepressant.

Mental illness such as depression can be related to high areas of inflammation in the brain. Turmeric aids in this matter as it is an anti-inflammatory. Depression is also correlated to an unbalanced brain chemistry and reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factors. Curcumin increases BNDF levels, thereby reversing some of these brain changes.

There is also clinical research that suggests curcumin in turmeric can boost brain neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin (happy chemicals).

Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s is the most frequent neurodegenerative disease in the world and the number one cause of dementia with a very limited available treatment.

It is essential to try to prevent this disease before it starts to show up. Curcumin has shown to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Again, inflammation and oxidation contributes to yet another disease, Alzheimer’s. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Inflammation and oxidation is very common and contributes to many diseases.

Another important feature of Alzheimer’s is an expansion of protein tangles referred to as Amyloid plaques. Scientific studies have shown that curcumin can help get rid of these plaques.

More scientific evidence is needed to fully understand the progression of turmeric against Alzheimer’s. Nonetheless, you can’t go wrong with taking turmeric supplements to help reduce or prevent Alzheimer’s and many other diseases.

It is now known that neurons are indeed capable of dividing and multiplying. They are able to form new connections and in specific areas of the brain, they can increase and multiply in number.

The main contributor to this mechanism is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which is classified as a type of growth hormone, functioning in our minds.

Brain disorders such as depression, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s have been linked to a decrease in this hormone. Fortunately, curcumin in turmeric can increase brain levels of BDNF. Therefore, turmeric allows for the reversion and delay of many brain diseases.

Prevention and Treatment of Cancer

Cancer is a group of diseases caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth that is capable of spreading around the body. Scientific studies are still ongoing but so far studies have shown that curcumin in turmeric can be a beneficial herb in cancer treatment. How does it help?

Curcumin can reduce angiogenesis (increase of new blood vessels in tumors), metastasis (spread of cancer via blood stream), and contribute to the death of cancerous cells.

Many studies have proven that curcumin can lower the growth levels of cancerous cells and obstruct the growth of tumors in test animals.

There is some evidence that curcumin may help with the prevention of cancer in the first place such as cancers involved with the digestive system (ex. colon cancer).

It is too early to decipher whether curcumin of turmeric will be an ordinary cancer treatment in the future, but it looks good as many ongoing studies are occurring.

Reduction of Arthritis

The number of Arthritis cases are increasing annually, especially in Western countries. Arthritis patients actually respond very positively to curcumin supplementation.

There are numerous types of arthritis, but most are associated with inflammation in the joints. Again, now we must know (since I said it a hundred times) that curcumin of turmeric is a very strong anti-inflammatory, so it makes perfect sense that it could aid with arthritis.

In a scientific investigation with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was proven to be more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug.

Delay Aging and Fight Age-Related Diseases

Oxidation and inflammation are known to contribute to aging, so again, curcumin has benefits associated with reducing this. If you think about it, curcumin of turmeric can help prevent heart disease, depression, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and increase brain function, so it must be related to longevity (long life).

Therefore, curcumin has become increasingly popular as an anti-aging supplement.

You can’t go wrong with taking turmeric and turmeric supplementation has been drastically increasing.

Here is the supplement I take and strongly recommend. It is a very effective dosage of the curcumin in turmeric you need.

Remember I stated in the beginning of this article: it is the curcumin you want to consume.

Curcumin is the main ingredient in turmeric that contains these anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that contribute to the prevention of all these diseases. The curcumin content of turmeric is actually low.

That is why we take the extracts of curcumin in turmeric and make supplements, thereby allowing us to consume the effective amount of curcumin. It is difficult to consume the necessary levels of curcumin in turmeric foods, that is why I choose supplementation. It is quick, easy, and efficient.

That is why I take this supplement which has a very effective dosage of curcumin. I find it to be the best turmeric supplement.

I strongly encourage you to take your turmeric supplements. That is the supplement form I take and recommend. If you have doubts, then I encourage you to read the reviews. Turmeric really is that beneficial. I wish more people knew about it.

Robert Sherwood

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40 Comments

Excellent post. I particularly enjoyed learning about the benefits of curcumin in arthritis and hope that further research is conducted in patients with osteoarthritis. Many patients cannot take traditional anti-inflammatories due to serious health risks and are forced to use opioids, which is not a good option either, or undergo surgical procedures.

Hi Tanya, thank you for reaching out. I also hope that further research is conducted for curcumin of turmeric with the different forms of arthritis. As of now, I believe it is a great natural supplement for many physical diseases including arthritis. I would definitely recommend turmeric as an anti-inflammatory when compared to traditional anti-inflammatories and opioids.

I did not realize turmeric had so many medicinal uses and particularly didn’t know it aides in the treatment of depression and Alzheimers. You’ve prompted me to want to do some more research on that subject. Very informative post. Thank you.

Hi Eddie, yes turmeric has many benefits. It is actually considered the miracle supplement by many because of its diverse range of benefits. Such a strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Thank you for reaching out.

I was doing some research on supplement that can help with depression and here I am on your page.

I actually have the curcumin ingredient in my cupboard and use it rather often. I did not know that this is also used very often to make medicines.

I’m not too thrilled with the thought of taking prescriptions pills. The VA has tried their best to keep my doped out of my mind and after a long time with my doctor I’ve been able to taper off of them.

So, now I’m looking for other ways to combat this depression. I do yoga, eat right, and exercise but I want to add something else because there are those times when things get a little uneasy.

Glad I found this article. Turmeric seems to be one of those universal ingredients that can help with a lot of issues.

Hi Justin. You’re very welcome. Glad to hear you are using curcumin. I strongly recommend it as it has numerous benefits associated both mentally and physically. You are on the right track. Yoga, a good diet, and exercise are excellent natural remedies to beat depression. If you are looking for something else, then I would recommend supplementation such as 5-HTP. This supplement helps to combat depression by boosting the level of serotonin in the brain (happy chemical). I take this and strongly recommend it. Here, you can view my article on 5-HTP.

Hey Rob! So cool that I came across this article, as recently (just in the past few weeks) I came across a different article regarding Tumeric. That was primarily about how a man cured himself of prostate cancer by using Tumeric… there’s more to the story, of course, but that’s the jist of it. The health benefits seem to be incredible! I learned quite a bit for your article as well! Thanks so much for sharing!

Hi Rob, thanks for getting the word out there about tumeric, honestly, this sounds good to me, and you cannot deny the benefits! I will continue to research this product, thanks for introducing it to me!

Thanks for writing this on Turmeric. I do have a question for you though? Is it alright to take with ibuprofen since that drug helps with anti-inflammation. Or perhaps any supplements, drugs, that you shouldn’t take with Turmeric?

You did an excellent job pulling this together. I had to do a lot of research on turmeric when someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer. I read a lot of research about the health benefits, and I have to say that you’ve covered most of them here in your article. More people need to be exposed to this type of information so keep up the good work!

Great post. I have been hearing recently about the health benefits of turmeric, but I didn’t realize it could also help with depression. It was interesting reading that it’s actually curcumin that is responsible for the health benefits. I had heard before that you have to eat a TON of turmeric to get the benefits, taking a supplement sounds a lot easier. Thanks for sharing!

Yes, it is the curcumin we want in turmeric, which is difficult to consume through only foods and is why you hear that you have to eat a ton of turmeric to get the benefits. That is why supplements of turmeric are amazing with the high levels of curcumin.

Yes, natural remedies can have huge effects on beating depression. Turmeric does not have side effects. It is a natural ingredient and found in some food groups. I stress supplementation because that is where the high levels of curcumin of turmeric are that you need. Turmeric is extremely safe, pure, natural, and effective. I would 100% say it is better than conventional medication.

I am a fan of natural supplements and I had never heard about curcumin, but now that I have I am going to buy this supplement. For how long it is recommended to ingest curcumin?, I mean, some vitamins supplements recommends to ingest the daily dose for 30 days, then rest 30 days and then start again. Is this the case, or can you ingest the daily dose for as long as you want?

Glad to hear and you will not be disappointed. Turmeric is very healthy and found in common food groups. Of course you want the high levels of curcumin and that is found in supplements. I would recommend not stopping with turmeric. It is so beneficial and there are no studies or research saying it is good to take a break from it like some other vitamins recommend. I ingest mine daily and have been for months. That is what I would do. You can’t go wrong with taking too much turmeric.

Very valuable information. I own a restaurant that serves a lot of curry, but I had no idea that curry has turmeric in it. I was wondering Is it only the yellow curry would have turmeric in it, would the red or green curry have turmeric in it as well? Excellent information on the many benefits turmeric has to offer. I knew some benefits, but your article added more knowledge. Thank you for sharing!

Hi Rob,
As a native of india, we use turmeric in a lot of our dishes but I never knew its benefits other than taste. Next time my wife uses it I can tell her the added benefits of it. This post has really been an eye opener.

Yes, turmeric is associated with many benefits, a lot more than people realize. Turmeric is in curry but like I mentioned, it is difficult to acquire the levels of curcumin in curry. Curcumin is the ingredient that gives turmeric its high anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. You can get these high levels of curcumin you need by taking supplements, which is what I strongly recommend.

Hi Rob
I use turmeric for an ileo anal pouch operation I had 17 yrs ago. a medication that helped my condition was withdrawn ( bad side effects ). so I had to find an alternative. Turmeric came up over several months of research, & it just so happened whilst on holiday in Thailand this year I found a shop that sold turmeric tablets, I bought 2x 200 tablets. I have taken them now for over a month & feel good with them. After reading your review, I now know where I will be buying my next batch.
Cheers
Paul

I wish I had known about this when I had been going through servere depression, instead of taking medicarions I didn’t need that just things worse. If it ever happens again I will defiently try turmeric

I had no clue there were so many cognitive effects for tumeric! I know that it helps with pain relief and inflammation, but it’s also amazing that it helps with alzheimers prevention. Losing my mind is one of my deepest fears and, sadly, it happens to far too many of us. We need to act now to prevent that outcome later.

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